


The Selection

by ManlyQuail



Series: A Million Times, A Million Lives [5]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Angst, Anti-Faunus Racism (RWBY), F/F, Faunus Yang Xiao Long, Knight Yang, Million Lives, Rebellion, Slavery, Vale Empire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 00:22:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29126421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ManlyQuail/pseuds/ManlyQuail
Summary: Blake Belladonna, recently captured by the conquering kingdom of Vale, is imprisoned and exhausted. Her rage still burns bright however, and when a knight comes through the dungeons for what the prisoner's have dubbed "The Selection", she doesn't hide her gaze. This results in the very thing those around her hoped to avoid: being chosen. Pulled from her cell, she discovers some surprising information about the Knight and the walls of the castle they find themselves within.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Series: A Million Times, A Million Lives [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2061915
Comments: 1
Kudos: 44





	The Selection

The echoing sound of metal boots against a solid stone surface woke a young woman from her sleep. She hadn’t recalled falling unconscious, but in her exhausted state it didn’t surprise her in the least. Eyes squinting, rapidly adjusting to the darkness around her, she gave a weak look around at her fellow prisoners. All around her heads hung in defeat, the gentle sound of chains clinking together as some did their best to adjust to at least somewhat comfortable positions, though others like her had their arms chained up, preventing them from sitting or resting comfortably even if they wanted to. It was, of course, all in the aim to break them, and as the sound of footsteps grew closer her senses steadily began to focus.

Turning from her kin, whose animalistic ears that marked them as a lesser species were all drooping in misery, the black haired girl’s golden eyes peered towards the source of the sound.

Unlike the faunus, whose senses were enhanced to the point where their sight could work in even the dimmest of areas, the humans who imprisoned them had no such abilities. A single torch at the base of towering stairs, the cracked and yellowing surface of once pristine marble enhancing the misery of their detainment cells, illuminated the surroundings of a pair of guards standing at attention.

Their attire was plain, iron armor forged to rather standard quality, enough to serve the purpose of a lowly guard of the castle. The visors of their helmets were lifted, the pair of guards staring directly at one another and paying little to no mind to the prisoners they guarded. It was a simple job, and with days if not weeks of malnutrition weakening those in the cells, they knew that even if someone were to free themselves they wouldn’t be much of a threat.

With a sneer, hatred burning in her eyes, Blake Belladonna’s eyes bore into the guards who remained ignorant of her gaze.

As the steps grew closer, her ears perking up in response, she could hear several of the chains around her jingle in response. Outside of the changing of the guards, an event that they’d come to memorize the timing of over the course of their imprisonment, it wasn’t very often the prisoners found themselves being visited. The steps of metal indicated it was an armored individual, and if it wasn’t a changing of a guard, then it must be time for the selection to occur.

Those who were selected were never seen or heard from again. It was a seemingly arbitrary process, no consistent timing and no identifiers shared between those that were chosen, and Blake had always wondered what happened to them. In her mind there were two options presented to those taken from here: servitude or death. Her kind had been enslaved by the humans, what few villages they had across the countryside gradually being overrun with more ferocity as the empire of man grew, and their subservient position was impossible to contest with the might the opposing armies possessed. It hadn’t been long ago that Blake herself had been captured, those that shared her cell the survivors of the onslaught that had occurred weeks prior, and in that time a handful of them had been taken away one by one.

“M’lady.” One of the guards spoke, bowing his head and taking a knee, motions which the guard opposite of him matched. Arms raised to their chest, eyes to the floor, the two made way for a woman in gold.

Flowing blonde locks trailed past her waist as she appeared before them. The glow of her armor in the torchlight made her appear almost angelic, and with lilac eyes gazing across her prisoners she pulled the torch from the wall and began to walk.

While her appearance was one of beauty and power, a confident and intimidating gaze washing over their beaten forms, none of the faunus dared look up at her for fear it would result in their selection. All but one.

With her helm at her waist, the sound of her armor clanking as she moved, the woman of gold paused briefly in her observation of the cells to stand before Blake. Unlike her kin, Blake made no attempts to disguise her gaze of hatred, directing it with all her fury directly into the eyes that met hers. The woman in gold raised a brow, chuckling softly to herself as she leaned the torch forward to get a better look, before shaking her head and moving on. Blake’s stare continued, not so much as blinking as the woman paced through the dungeon, the torch illuminating clusters of her kin all cowering from the light. A short time late, the woman had made her way back to Blake, staring back down at the rage with further amusement.

“This one.” All at once there was a rattling of chains. At Blake’s selection, many of the elders began to speak up, getting as close to the bars of their cells as possible, offering themselves to go in her place. Pleas for her youth to be retained, offering themselves in service or in death to take her place, and donning her helmet the woman in gold eventually drew her sword. “Those who wish to offer themselves in death may die, but you shan't take the place of this one. If you continue to offer your lives in spite of this fact, I shall slay you where you without hesitation here and now, letting your kin bath in your blood.”

With a regal voice booming through the dungeon, her blade hovering inches from the closest individual offering themselves, the woman in gold watched as all the figures slumped back into the darkness. Knowing they would be throwing their lives away, unable to save Blake from the fate before her, all at once the passion that had flowed through her kin had faded in an instant. Shaking her head once more, the woman in gold sheathed her sword, gripping tightly onto the ruby studded pommel in the event anyone moved once the cage opened.

One of the guards quickly made his way to her, flipping through numerous keys on a rusting ring, before finally twisting the lock of the cell. It creaked, years of neglect for the oxidizing material causing it to groan and scrape as it opened, and moments later the guard was knelt beside Blake and fumbling with her personal chains. In the presence of the woman in gold, nobody dared come to her aid, and there was a small sense of relief as Blake’s arms fell to her side for the first time in days.

“Can you stand?” Eyes still scanning the dungeon, the woman in gold turned her attention to Blake, giving her a once over with a tilt of her head.

“Yes.” Snarling up at her captor, Blake stood slowly, though her legs were shaky and weak. It was purely out of spite and rage that she managed to rise, and with a slow step towards the woman, she watched as the guard quickly reached for his blade.

“Good.” Extending a hand to relax the guard, the woman in gold gestured for Blake to step out. She motioned towards the stairs she’d come from, and with a neutral and cold expression watched as Blake began to stumble towards them. The door scraped back shut behind her, the sound of the heavy key sealing it behind her, and Blake’s bare feet slowly padded across the icy floors. “Move.”

With a shove from behind, Blake slowly increased her pacing, the sound of the torch being racked behind her as she took a hesitant step onto the first of no doubt hundreds of stairs. It was exhausting, each step feeling like it would be what finally broke her, but again her rage only fueled her motions. With each step she took stock, flexing her palms with as little effort as she could in order to avoid the interest of the woman behind her. There was a spacing between torches as they rose, where the light of one ended and a length of darkness covered them before the light of the next began, and in those spaces she contemplated making a move.

Few possibilities floated through her mind as she felt her stiff and exhausted muscles slowly begin to respond to her commands. The first - and most obvious - thought in her mind was a swift kick to the woman in gold to send her toppling down the stairs. In the darkness between torches she could easily catch the woman off guard, easily sending her and her no doubt hefty armor tumbling down dozens of stairs while she found a way out, but where  _ would _ that way be? As they’d ascended, the stairs had let off on several landings, however each and every hall was packed with guards in brightly lit halls. No, if she was going to make a move she would need a better location to make it.

“Out.” Blake had reflexively begun to move up the next set of stairs, her legs numbing from the excessive movement after beginning to atrophy, when the woman in gold grabbed her arm and shoved her out onto the landing. The eyes of a few guards fell on her as she stumbled and tripped forward, her body slamming down into an ornate red rug that span the length of the hall. Wherever they were, the quality of architecture was far and above that of the dungeon, with paintings and portraits so realistic she could swear she was staring at the real thing all around her. Unlike the yellowing cracked terrain of the dungeon, the floors and walls here were spotless, smooth and glistening, and yanked to her feet Blake was once more pushed down the unfamiliar halls.

Eventually, the woman in gold pulled Blake towards a regal wooden door, gold having adorned the edges in curls and spiral designs with a matching golden handle. As she threw Blake into the room, she dismissed the guards that protected her chambers, before entering and locking the door with a key of her own.

“Stand.” The one word orders were becoming grating to Blake, though she continued to follow them as she’d yet to come up with any alternatives. Using a nearby post to help her up, Blake realized she’d been brought to personal chambers, the post she was rising on the smooth polished corner of a bed frame. With a heavy grunt, she managed to make it to her feet, quickly taking stock of the modest room she’d been thrown into.

The bed itself was nothing out of the ordinary, with woolen sheets across no doubt a soft mattress, the wood appeared to be the most valuable part of the build. Looking around, a handful of other portraits adorned the walls, their quality as high as those in the halls, as well as several chests and armoires that remained shut. The woman in gold had sat, her back to Blake for the first time, as she pulled the helm from her head and placed it gently on a table with an enormous mirror. Her belt had been set aside, her sheathed and pristine weapon leaning against the wall, and it was in that moment Blake felt her opening.

“Get dressed.” With her hesitant and silent step towards the weapon, Blake froze as the woman’s eyes met her in the reflection of the mirror. They were narrow, but the ferocity in them seemed to have faded somewhat. It caught Blake off guard, perhaps wondering if she was misreading the expression due to the reflection, but as the woman took a heavy sigh and turned from the mirror to face Blake directly she could tell her instincts were right.

_ Her eyes seemed… tired? _

The commanding presence she’d kept during their travel through the halls had faded a great deal, the rage with which she drew her blade and threatened to fell her kin was nowhere to be found, and as she gestured towards one of the many armoires that lined the room she once more turned her attention from Blake.

“Why…” They were the first words Blake had spoken, aside from confirming she could stand earlier, and for a second she wasn’t even sure they’d been heard. Her voice was raspy, her throat dry and coarse. It had been so long since she’d needed to speak, the thirst of her system having become so normal she no longer realized it was there, but the sudden desire for moisture to wet her throat and tongue to better speak began to grow.

There was a sliding sound, a drawer of the dresser the woman in gold sat at sliding open, and she placed a corked bottle and two goblets out. Pouring each glass to half capacity, the woman stood, lifting each and offering one to Blake.

“Drink. You must be parched.” The cold and blank expression of the woman was difficult for Blake to read. Instinctually, her first thought was naturally that the drink be poisoned, that this was all an attempt to lower her guard and take advantage of her desperation. For several seconds, all she did was stare, and the woman shrugged her shoulders before placing Blake’s goblet back on her dresser. Taking a lengthy sip of her own, the woman let out a soft and satisfied sigh, gesturing once more to the wardrobe.

In her exhaustion, the woman in gold let her head droop, her eyes falling from the mirror as she clasped her hands in front of her and closed her eyes in silent contemplation. It almost looked as if she were praying, and Blake once more began to take silent steps towards the weapon against the wall. She would have to be quick, no doubt in her mind that if the woman in gold chose she could easily overpower her, and in a flash Blake’s hands were tight around the handle of the weapon as she struggled to free it from the sheath.

There was a chuckle.

“You wouldn’t be the first to try that you know.” Without even lifting her head, the woman in gold chuckled once more as Blake’s strength gave out and the weapon clattered on the ground before she could so much as free the blade. It felt like now she was at the point of no return, and as she struggled to take so much as a combat stance in preparation for a fight, Blake instead watching as the woman in gold simply shook her head. “Come here.”

“Wh-” Wanting to ask once more  _ why _ this woman was giving the orders she was, Blake found her throat incapable of producing another sound. She struggled, choked on the word, and her eyes instinctively flicked from the woman to the glass of untouched wine by her side. With her hands weakly clenched into fists, Blake took a slow step towards the woman in gold who had begun to remove her gauntlets. Placing each on the table before her, the woman began to brush through her hair, parting it in a seemingly random location, and leaning in towards Blake.

Her heart skipped a beat as she gazed at a thin scarring across the scalp of the woman, buried beneath the sea of golden locks that covered her head. Reflexively, Blake lifted a hand of her own, touching the animalistic cat ears atop her own head. Heart racing, dozens if not hundreds of questions filling her head, Blake realized that to ask them she’d need to satiate her thirst, and without any further hesitation downed the glass of wine in two gulps.

“So. Let’s hear them.” Leaning back in her seat, the woman stared up at Blake expectantly.

“Who are you?” It was a broad question, but one Blake hoped would be met with an in depth answer.

“My name is Lady Yang Velamore, Knight-Captain of the Vale Imperial Army. However, this identity is false. I was originally known as Yang Xiao Long, but circumstances led me to changing this name in order to protect myself.” Blake’s eyes widened, a brief recognition of the family name Xiao Long moving through her thoughts. “When my tribe was attacked years ago, I had been out foraging for berries. I watched as my family and friends were slaughtered before my very eyes, unable to so much as lift a finger as I hid away. To that end, I was filled with a burning desire to revenge, and tearing my heredity from my body I set out to join those I sought to end.”

Standing, letting Blake absorb her story, Yang poured her another drink. Blake quickly gulped it down as Yang crossed the room towards a bookshelf against the far wall. Letting her fingers trace across the volumes, Yang pulled gently on a pale blue cover, and the wall itself seemed to move at her touch. It was a slow movement, the grinding of stone soft as a blackened passage presented itself before them, and Yang let out another heavy sigh.

“For the past years of service I’ve risen in the ranks as quickly as possible to reach this point. This castle didn’t used to belong to the Vale Imperial Army, but in their conquest of the nation they’ve taken ownership of dozens of locations, and damned many people to servitude beneath them. It was this location where I discovered this passage that goes on beyond the sight that even we possess, and it is here that I free one faunus at a time in hopes that they’ll find life beyond chains and walls.”

With the wine in her system allowing her speech, Blake glanced between Yang and the wall with a furrowed brow.

“Where does it go?” Taking a slow step towards the tunnel, the gentlest of breezes could be felt, a cooling air moving through the camber. There was the occasional drip sound, moisture collected within dripping into pools no doubt spanning the length of the tunnel, and Blake turned to Yang once more.

“I know not. My only hope over these past many years it that it leads beyond the castle walls, beyond the territory of this castle and into an area where faunus may find refuge and safety. It had been my hopes that through years of letting individuals go, I would eventually hear tale of raids and attacks on nearby settlements, that rumors would circulate of a forming rebellion, but despite the numerous individuals I’ve let go through that passage I’ve not once heard such tales.” Yang stepped towards the seat at her dresser once more, slumping into the polished chair and quickly taking a hefty sip from the bottle of wine itself. “After all this time, letting faunus go free has become more a habit than the hopeful dream it once was.”

Despite the early adult years each of them possessed, in Blake’s eyes Yang looked years older. Her expression, no longer portraying the strength and will of a knight, had become dull and weak. It was clear that her actions had worn her will, that letting individuals go one by one and never hearing so much as a whisper that they’d made it somewhere safe had eroded the desire for revenge she’d felt all those years ago.

“And so I’m simply supposed to travel down this path, into this darkness where there may not even be a light? Why would you tell me that there’s a chance that my salvation at the end of this passage isn’t even a guarantee if your hope is that I’ll be set free?” Blake once more found herself staring at the tunnel. The breeze itself would confirm that there was another side to the tunnel, and exit to an outside world, but if Yang’s story was to believed there was a chance that even making it beyond the castle would still only result in her death.

“You’re free to do what you please. At the very least I can assure you that in staying here, you  _ will _ die. Your only hope is to walk that tunnel for as far as it takes you and hope that whatever awaits you on the other side is better than here.” The wine bottle dripped, the last drops of liquid tapping softly against Yang’s tongue, as she let out a sigh and slammed it down on the dresser.

“And you? Are you just going to sit here, day after day, and send more like myself into this unknown?” Blake frowned, her eyes gazing at Yang with a mix of frustration and confusion. It wasn’t as if she could be angry with Yang, given the woman was providing her kind with a  _ chance _ , but it was clear that after all this time she was starting to lose faith in the mission she’d assigned herself. “Why not come with me? Explore the exit of the tunnel, potentially make it safe for those that follow, maybe discover the truth as to what happened to all those before me?”

“I’ve thought about it.” Yang chuckled, her eyes looking over Blake with a smile. There was a passion in the woman she respected, a passion she’d once shared, but gesturing to the wall Yang shook her head. “However, this wall unfortunately only opens from one side. Sealing it behind me would result in my inability to come back, and leaving it open for the return trip risks discovery should someone come to check on me. I may send the guards away, but the security across the castle is fairly decent at ensuring a constant awareness of those that travel through the halls. Should I suddenly turn up at the castle gates when I should be alone in my study, questions will arise. It may not be instant the moment I’m caught, but so much as a rumor can easily topple any plan.”

“After all the risks you’ve taken, the possibility of _rumors_ is what’s stopping you?” Unconvinced, Blake shook her head. “With the command you hold nobody would  _ dare _ question you if you said you’d gone for a walk. Insult them, ruin their reputations, demand that they be jailed for their lax efforts in protecting the castle if they’re so unaware that someone like you could simply walk out without them noticing! A single incident to ensure the survival and safety of our kind seems like such a miniscule price to pay. Come  _ with _ me.”

With a hand extended towards Yang, the fire in Blake’s eyes was unmistakable. Smirking to herself, playing over scenarios in her mind where she could berate and insult the humans beneath her, force them to bow and grovel for their lives while at her mercy, caused a tiny spark to reignite somewhere within Yang.

“At the very least, I’ve grown so tired of my duties. To discover the truth of all my efforts, and should I be caught, be finally allowed rest…” Standing from her seat, Yang began to collect her equipment. The golden spiked gauntlets slipped over her hands, the helm that still let her beauty show through was pulled over her head, and the sheath of her ornate weapon was once more snapped to her waist. “Lead on.”

Blake was surprised that she’d managed to convince Yang to leave. After all, Yang had been performing these duties for years, and for her to be the first to talk Yang into traveling alongside her…

The stone was cold, a dampness surrounding them, and a trickle of moisture traveling down the passage. Even with their ability to see in the dark, as the entrance sealed behind them, all became black.

Their steps were slow at first, the angle of the passage threatening to send them sliding down into the unknown, and with Yang’s particularly heavy equipment she took extra care to move with purpose. Without light, they could only follow the moisture, Blake’s bare feet feeling the small flow of water gently traveling further and further into the dark. It was cold, her body covered in goosebumps with a tiny regret that she never took the offered chance to change, but her thoughts became entirely focused on making her way through this tunnel and into what lay beyond.

Minutes seemed to turn to hours as the tunnel gradually leveled out. The thin flow of water let out into puddles, Blake’s feet splashing in the icy collections with the sensation of a gentle current leading further beyond, though neither of them could quite tell how far.

“Perhaps after all this time people were merely lost.” Yang let her fingers trace against the stone of the tunnel. It had clearly been built for some purpose, she’d imagined all these years an escape path for the nobility that once slept in her current study, but given the conditions she began to wonder if the project had ever been finished.

“There’s still a breeze.” Blake sniffed the air, the cool sensation of wind brushing lightly over them had lessened considerably with the closing of the passage, but there was still enough flow that told her there was an end to their travels. “Without any branching paths, the only way to go is forward.”

While Yang knew Blake’s words were true, she worried that somewhere ahead they would come across branching paths, perhaps designed to deter those who might follow after, and they  _ would _ end up lost. However, as time continued to pass at an unknown rate, the tunnel continued straight as ever. Then, a new sensation hit their senses.

“Do you smell that?” With eyes wide in hopes to pick up even the tiniest amount of light, Blake’s nose twitched as the unmistakable scent of meat permeated the air.

“Meat? And...fire?” Taking a moment to sniff at the air as well, Yang’s mouth moistened in response to the delicious scent, though confusion quickly took control of her senses.

“We may be nearing the exit, and given the scent it’s likely there are people there…” Blake’s hands formed into fists, and in the darkness she could hear Yang draw her blade, a hand reaching blindly out and pushing Blake behind her as she took the lead.

“Should they be foes, perhaps humans who discovered the passage and have been halting all my progress, I shall make sure they are  _ punished _ .” With a low growl, Yang quickened her pace, and Blake splashed behind her despite the screams from her muscles to rest.

A light. A tiny glimmer of light, dancing and swaying at the end of the tunnel illuminated their surroundings. A thin layer of moss, cracks in the stonework around them, the puddles below a dark and disgusting shade of blue and brown, the world around them filled their senses with visual stimulation as at long last they neared the end of their journey. It felt like they’d been walking for miles, and the glow of Yang’s armor and blade in the darkness filled Blake with a sense of protection and safety as they drew closer and closer to the welcoming scent of meat.

“...quite the big boar.” Their pace slowed to an immediate halt, a voice close to the exit of the tunnel echoing deep. Conversation could be heard, a few different voices telling the tale of a hunt, no doubt referring to the source of the delicious scent filling the tunnel.

“We had to be quick, he nearly made it to the edge of the forest where the road passes. Even with the little traffic it sees…” 

Yang turned to Blake, lifting the finger of her gauntlets to her lips, before nodding slowly and inching her way through the tunnel. Following close behind, Blake listened intently to the words being spoken, waiting for any abrupt silence or change in conversation that would indicate their presence had been noted.

As more and more light filled the tunnel, a crackling fire at the end with a turning boar body rotating gently above the flames, Yang pressed herself tightly against the wall to minimize her size as best she could. Still, with as bright as her armor glowed in the light of the fire, it would be impossible to entirely hide her presence. Without wasting another moment, not letting those beyond have the chance to make the first move, Yang rushed from the tunnel with a roar.

Blake watched, waiting from within the tunnel, as Yang leapt out and raised her sword in preparation to defend herself. However, as the conversation halted and silence took over, she watched as Yang seemed to freeze.

_ Are there more than we were expecting? Did something happen? _

Yang’s sword slowly lowered to her side, her free hand raising slowly to her mouth in surprise, and Blake quickly hurried out to see what was happening.

Her vision was overwhelmed as she burst from the tunnel beside Yang. The fire itself had taken up most of their vision within the tunnel, but stepping out she was greeted by a whole other world. All around them people starred, several midway through biting into a chunk of cooked boar flesh, animal ears twitching atop any and all heads within sight.

“Well well, we wondered how long it would be before you finally decided to join us.” The voice that had been speaking earlier, talking of the road at the edge of the forest, was the first to greet them. A female voice belonging to a tanned woman with amber eyes and black stripes across her revealed arms stepped towards them, a bright and gleaming smile across her lips as she bowed her head politely to Yang.

“What… what is all of this?” It was as if a tiny village had been built within the thick forest around them. Small huts built from wood and leaf surrounded the exit to the tunnel, where strong and smiling faces all looked towards the two of them in recognition and glee. A man at the edge of the gathering whistled sharply, and more and more faunus began to gather in the space. At their waists, and lining tables around them, bladed weapons and scraped together pieces of armor sat at the ready, black scarred emblems having been sloppily painted across any of the surfaces wide enough to hold the image.

“Since the day you set me free I knew what had to be done, but I knew I couldn’t do it alone. The forest here provides enough food and water to get by on, and so I decided what better way to muster ourselves than to gather our forces right here.” Motioning to the exit of the tunnel, the woman gave a nod to Yang. “Every person you’ve set free has exited here, and we’ve spent our days bolstering ourselves, using the forest as a way to ambush and attack caravans passing through without entirely exposing the truth of this forest. Rumors and whispers of hauntings and terrible creatures are all that make it from here, and it’s enough to keep us from the full brunt of the Vale Army. Not that they could take us now if they wanted.”

A roar of approval flooded the camp as the woman gestured to the armored members of their group. Weapons raised in the air, the eagerness to fight obvious, the men and women of the camp all shouted in unison.

“All this time Sienna, if you’ve been ready…” Yang shook her head in disbelief, tears threatening to escape her eyes as she gazed across the army she’d helped build up over the years. Her fears that all she’d done had gone to waste were washed away in an instant, a welling sense of pride in all that those she’d sent on had accomplished flooding her system.

“Ah, but we weren’t. Despite the forces we’ve built up, we were still missing one crucial element.” Stepping forward, Sienna placed a strong hand on Yang’s spaulders, squeezing tight on the metal surface with a nod to the woman standing before her. “We were missing our leader.”

Once again, a roar boomed through the camp, overwhelming approval of Yang’s position as their leader being voiced by all. Yang stared between the eyes of those she’d let go, the burning passion she’d seen the day she’d selected them still burning bright. She felt a tug, Blake’s arms wrapping around her own, and she was thankful that after all this time she’d accepted the invitation to finally take the plunge and see what was at the end of the tunnel so many had walked. The golden eyes of the girl that had finally pulled her from her study gazed up at her, a matching passion burning bright within them.

Closing her eyes, Yang lowered her head slowly, a soft smile forming on her lips. All around her, silence awaited her respond.

“TO WAR!” 

Lifting her blade in the air, the golden hilt and polished blade twinkling bright in the light of the fire, her golden image glowed in the light as she accepted the position amongst her people, amongst  _ their _ people. With Blake by her side, she gave a thankful glance to the girl that had finally motivated her to leave, the smile returned with an eager fervor. The camp let out a cry of war, their battle shouts audible through the entirety of the forest, and all at once their forces went to work preparing for the next phase.

As the camp dispersed, individuals heading through the forest to prepare and spread the word through the territory they’d built up, Yang lowered her blade slowly and let out a huff. The walk had exhausted them, and after so many years of declining passion it was difficult for her to jump back into the swing of things so suddenly. With the smell of fresh meat surrounding them, Yang took a moment to look after the girl by her side. Blake’s legs were wobbling, and Yang hadn’t realized that in wrapping herself on her Blake was using Yang to stabilize herself.

The two sat on a nearby log, Yang removing the exterior layers of her armor to ease the weight and allow herself some extra mobility, and in an instant someone arrived before them with a carved wooden dish and slabs of meat on each. Blake wasted no time digging in, Yang herself enjoying the food, and for a moment the two of them simply enjoyed the sudden peace around them.

“This is more than I could’ve ever imagined.” Taking a moment, Yang glanced around the village once more, bodies in motion everywhere she looked. The people she’d set free had always been so meek when she released them, in conditions similar to the one Blake was in now, and to see them built up to such a degree was a wave of relief. It was all so much, and while the rest of the world had seemed to be waiting on her and was ready to go, Yang found herself in need of some time to recollect herself and regain the passion she’d long lost.

“It’s all because of you.” Blake had gotten close, closer than Yang had been prepared for, but in the girl’s state of exhaustion as she leaned her body against Yang she had no doubt it was taking all her strength not to fall unconscious in that very moment. Her eyes looked up, a hopeful spark leagues different than the fury and hate she’d had for Yang in the dungeons not even a day prior. It was a look Yang hadn’t dreamed of ever seeing in her life, and to see it now on this girl beside her, refueled her more than she’d expected.

“Thank you. Thank you for talking me out of the rut I’d found myself in, to take the leap that so many others before had taken and go down the tunnel towards a new future. With the power built here, we’ll fight the Vale Imperial Army and spark a rebellion that will change everything.” Clenching her fist, motivation swelling within, Yang watched as Blake’s eyes slowly fluttered shut and she slid into her lap. Her breathing was heavy, and brushing her hair to the side Yang couldn’t help but smile down, her hands gently tracing across the small feline ears that flickered at her touch.

_ Together, we’ll change everything. _


End file.
